All-Star Article On Espnw Says Cheer Not A Sport

[SL&AM]

Is contemporary dancing done at games in support of a sports team?

It can be done. My HS team used it for pep rallies, along with other forms like kick and pom.

And since dancer's traditionally (at least where I'm from and danced) did half-time shows at basketball games and then flags during marching band...do you know how many times I landed a huge metal pole against the side of my head because I was doing a routine in the wind. Oh those were the good ole days.

Anyhow, my point is...if we're gonna put cheerleading under the microscope, we can not expect any other 'non-sport' to be safe either.

 

[JMW]

...and what our value is.


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I get everything you said, but what other sport OR activity has to justify itself in terms of what value it adds to another?

If someone wanted funding & support for a badminton team, they wouldn't be trying to prove its value beyond “it's fun, it's good exercise, lots of people will want to do it and/or watch it."

Maybe a better example would be a hockey team, because it is similarly risky to cheerleading. They would likely have a tougher sell than badminton due to the risks, but still would not feel the need to justify their value besides “it's fun, it's good exercise, lots of people will want to do it and/or watch it."

So why does sideline cheerleading (with stunts and tumbling) feel that we need more justification than that - that we have to "add value" to the football team?

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[luv2cheer92]

The way I think of it is that there would probably be the same number of people going to football games whether or not the cheerleaders were there and if they are doing stunts or not. There may not be as many, but there would probably be a good amount of people that go to hockey games just to watch. So it's like why would schools want to fund something that would not bring them any money. Cheerleaders aren't a separate thing in that sense, they aren't necessary for the game to be played. This probably makes no sense, it does in my head.


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[dawgshow]

I have not found one. Does anyone else know of one?

Entertainment, especially at quarters and half time. Part of sideline cheer is to keep the crowd engaged and stunts provide a "wow" factor.


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[Official OWECheer]

I get everything you said, but what other sport OR activity has to justify itself in terms of what value it adds to another?

If someone wanted funding & support for a badminton team, they wouldn't be trying to prove its value beyond “it's fun, it's good exercise, lots of people will want to do it and/or watch it."

Maybe a better example would be a hockey team, because it is similarly risky to cheerleading. They would likely have a tougher sell than badminton due to the risks, but still would not feel the need to justify their value besides “it's fun, it's good exercise, lots of people will want to do it and/or watch it."

So why does sideline cheerleading (with stunts and tumbling) feel that we need more justification than that - that we have to "add value" to the football team?

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Because unfortunately, that's how outsiders see it. A lot of them wonder why cheerleading even still exists.

 

[JMW]

The way I think of it is that there would probably be the same number of people going to football games whether or not the cheerleaders were there and if they are doing stunts or not. There may not be as many, but there would probably be a good amount of people that go to hockey games just to watch. So it's like why would schools want to fund something that would not bring them any money. Cheerleaders aren't a separate thing in that sense, they aren't necessary for the game to be played. This probably makes no sense, it does in my head.


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The only sports that make money for schools are football and basketball.

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[cheersafety]

The only sports that make money for schools are football and basketball.

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Second highest revenue earner at Alabama is cheerleading, only second to football. From cheer camp income I suspect.

 

[cheersafety]

Are you saying dance moves are as dangerous as stunts?

Dance teams, marching bands, bowling team or chess club if you are doing gymnastics without the training, supervision, progressions, rules of gymnastics you are increasing the inherent risk. So yes when the hip hop dance team copies a move out of "White Chicks" and forgets it is gymnastics it is dangerous. Exactly how a young girl in Florida suffered catastrophic injuries that leave her in life long pain.

 

[JMW]

Because unfortunately, that's how outsiders see it. A lot of them wonder why cheerleading even still exists.

I am suggesting that we should help them look at it from a different perspective... from the perspective of our athletes themselves, rather than the value they bring to someone else.

It's kind of discriminatory NOT to, don't you think?

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[catlady]

Perhaps we need to ask the Navy and Air Force how they justify the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. They are flying and taking chances with bazillion dollar aircraft wowing the crowds across America and is it necessary? No. Do people find it entertaining? Yes. These men are the face, the ambassadors of their program. They are selling a product. I see our sideline cheerleaders in the same light, they wow the crowd, promote their school, they help create the excitement and get the fans excited about that game they just bought a ticket for. Can I justify the need for stunting on the sidelines. Not really, but a pilot standing next to a FA18 Hornet doesn't do anything for me either.
All games aren't exciting, but if you can keep the energy exciting they'll come back, even for a losing team. That's the best sales pitch I can come up with.


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[Official OWECheer]

I am suggesting that we should help them look at it from a different perspective... from the perspective of our athletes themselves, rather than the value they bring to someone else.

It's kind of discriminatory NOT to, don't you think?

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True, but remember that these are the same people that get confused by all-star cheer because "you don't cheer for football and you don't cheer for basketball, so.... what do you cheer for?"

"We cheer to represent a gym."

"I still don't get it."

 

[King]

It all comes down to money. If a school is willing to pay for it to be insured and supported things can continue on as they have. If they decide it's too expensive it goes away. As long as someone's willing to pay nothing will change.


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[cupieqt]

Second highest revenue earner at Alabama is cheerleading, only second to football. From cheer camp income I suspect.

This is very good news IMO. Where do we find more info about this? Because whatever they're doing needs to be modeled at other programs. I could imagine the LSU cheerleaders bring in a good bit of revenue as well. I know we have paid them to make appearances and it wasn't cheap.
If school cheer programs just capitalize on their marketability then I'd imagine they'd get whatever funding they need if it is deemed to be a sport.

 

[cheersafety]

Perhaps we need to ask the Navy and Air Force how they justify the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. They are flying and taking chances with bazillion dollar aircraft wowing the crowds across America and is it necessary? No. Do people find it entertaining? Yes. These men are the face, the ambassadors of their program. They are selling a product. I see our sideline cheerleaders in the same light, they wow the crowd, promote their school, they help create the excitement and get the fans excited about that game they just bought a ticket for. Can I justify the need for stunting on the sidelines. Not really, but a pilot standing next to a FA18 Hornet doesn't do anything for me either.
All games aren't exciting, but if you can keep the energy exciting they'll come back, even for a losing team. That's the best sales pitch I can come up with.


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I agree! My brother is a Commander in the US Navy, flies FA-18s and trains FA-18 pilots to land on an air craft carrier while it moves at night. My nephew, his youngest son is named after his friend who died flying Navy jets. We have talked for 100s of hours about cheerleaders who do gymnastics and how we could use aviation safety to make flying safer. A lot of our risk management at the National Cheer Safety Foundation was based, derived or inspired by naval aviation standards. We nick named him Commander of the Cheer No Fly Zone. ;)

 

[maaandyx]

If we ground bound sideline why not ground bound all star? I mean it's just as dangerous, you're taking risks, ect. I mean some gyms even allow athletes to compete with injuries..
My point here is that in sideline you can have an injury as small as a mild concussion or a broken finger and you would not be allowed to cheer, until you are cleared medically with a note from your doctor. And that goes for gyms as well maybe but some gyms allow their girls/boys to practice/compete with injuries such as bad ankles, bad knees, broken bones, concussions, etc even after their doctor said you are not allowed to be cheering, they still do it anyway. That makes everyone in the gym responsible if the athletes injury were to get worse while practicing or competing. I see high school being a lot more safer than all star in terms of injuries.


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